“We are looking for eighth and ninth starters,” the Mets GM said. “Most teams are looking for fourth and fifth guys. We are a little ahead of the game.”

Not a little. A lot. The Mets project to have the majors’ best rotation. I suspect just about any of the other 29 teams would trade for the Mets’ problems. Here comes the “but.”

But every team used at least eight starters last year except the Blue Jays, who used seven. Some of that is about September call-ups getting shots. However, 243 pitchers started at least five times, meaning roughly five starts for the No. 8 starter on each team. That is hardly an inconsequential amount when the Mets and Nationals could expect to battle deep into September for NL East supremacy.

You might remember the 2007 Mets blew a seven-game lead to the Phillies with 17 to play, partly because they ran out of qualified starters. Brian Lawrence started six times after Aug. 1, and the Mets were 1-5 in those games. Philip Humber made his lone start in Game 158 and was strafed for five runs in four innings.

Zack WheelerAnthony J. Causi

And the Mets reached the wild-card game last year because Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo came out of nowhere to help compensate for a rotation that lost Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Steven Matz along the way and never got Zack Wheeler back.

Obviously, you can worst-case-scenario any situation, including the Nationals’. However, to ignore the fragility of the Mets rotation would be day-after-tomorrow foolish. DeGrom, Harvey, Matz and Wheeler each has had arm surgery since last appearing in a regular-season game.

Noah Syndergaard, based on the sheer fury of his stuff, is an injury risk. Gsellman and Lugo were revelations, but revelations with 15 combined starts and nothing in their previous histories to suggest their excellence in the majors. In other words, they need to show that again to gain complete faith.

Those seven were good enough for the Mets to let Bartolo Colon go, particularly because the veteran righty wanted assurances he would start as he strives to become the all-time wins leader from the Dominican Republic (he has 233, Juan Marichal has 243). But Colon led the Mets in starts last year, and as old (43) and dumpy as he is, would you be amazed if, as a 2017 Brave, he made more starts than any current Met?

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That is why the Mets wanted to add veteran depth at Triple-A, looking for example into giving a minor league deal to Colby Lewis, who wanted a major league pact. Between now and the start of the season, other starters could become available whom the Mets can try to stash. But would you be shocked if the Mets were shopping for a starter come July?

“We would have been last July,” one team executive said, “if Gsellman and Lugo did not emerge.”

In actuality, neither started until after the non-waiver trade deadline. But they also are informative for this topic because as Alderson said, “I didn’t know at this time last year that I would have Gsellman and Lugo at Triple-A.”

Seth LugoAnthony J. Causi

For example, the Mets are hoping prospect Marcos Molina could come fast after missing all of last season following Tommy John surgery. But that is a long shot, and none of their better pitching prospects — such as Justin Dunn and Thomas Szapucki — are near major league ready.

For now, the Mets’ eighth and ninth options are Sean Gilmartin and Rafael Montero.

Montero has re-opened eyes in this camp after such a disappointing 2016. He is throwing harder and throwing more strikes. He has a strong chance to open the season as the Mets’ long man with Gsellman as the fifth starter, Lugo being kept stretched out as a starter in Triple-A and Wheeler staying back in Florida to make four or five starts in warm weather just to be sure his arm is major league ready after missing both the 2015 and ’16 seasons following Tommy John surgery.

Thus, Lugo and Wheeler would be the first reinforcements – which is impressive. But the starts and stops with Wheeler last season suggests “believe it when you see it.” He is due to make his first exhibition start Friday. Also keep in mind, the Mets used 12 starters last year, including Logan Verrett and Gabriel Ynoa, both with the Orioles now.

What remains with the Mets is superb, but superb with a red flag. Today it all looks great, but with this rotation, the Mets must always be planning for the day after tomorrow.